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Part III: Positive Behavior Supports, Differentiated Instruction, and Assistive Technology
Role and Skill Set of a Special Educator Teacher The main role of the special education teacher is to provide instruction and support which facilitates the participation as well as growth of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Special education teacher serve as case manager of his or her caseload of exceptional learner assign them and is responsible for maintaining each students IEP folder documents. Maintain accurate and complete records in compliance with school district regulations and legal requirements. Responsible for having meeting IEP along with developing, implementing, an evaluation of students’ IEPs. Provide information about the exceptional learner like classroom/testing accommodations, modification, behavior, medical concerns, and show how to operate assistive device equipment. Collaborate with general education teachers to differentiate lesson plan, co-teach, and create small group to provide support for exceptional learners. The most important thing as a special educator is to maintain effective communication with students and parents or guardians. It imperative that special educators progress monitor functional and academic goals through intensive instruction and assessment to see if the students are meeting standards. Ensure adherence to reasonable rules of classroom discipline and order to maintain a secure and effective learning environment. Utilize appropriate corrective methods to modify behavior. Instruct students on socially acceptable behaviors and personal development skills. Maintain a current knowledge of special education best practices and trends. A highly qualified special education teacher with an advanced degree, is best suited to help children face and overcome challenges, while striving to be their personal best. Special education teachers, who set the bar, embody the following traits: * Organizational and planning skills * Creativity * Highly intuitive * Calming nature * Good sense of humor * Judgment and decision-making skills * Problem-solving * Conflict management and resolution * Adaptability * Appreciation and Compassion for diversity Essential factors that contribute to a positive learning environment To understand a positive learning environment, the educator must know that the classroom climate refers to a prevailing mood, attitudes, standards, and tone that you and your students feel when they are in class. To establish a trust that leads to genuine participation and engagement in learning, the teacher needs to set the stage by creating a classroom climate in which all students feel valued, safe and supported. Another factor that contributes to a positive learning environment is the way you arrange your classroom by purposeful plan placement of furniture and organization of classroom materials and activities. Last but not least, is developing a reinforce classroom rules and norms that set expectations by clearly support safe and respectful behaviors. The key is having the students involved in establishing standards and the expectations of the classroom. Establishing expectations gives the students clear boundaries and opportunities to practice self-regulation and make good choices about behavior and learning. Common techniques and approaches used in positive behavior supports are useful in the classroom are: # Clear routines and expectations that are posted and reviewed help children know what comes next in their school day, reducing anxiety or fear. # Pre-arranged signals can be used to let a child know when he or she is doing something that is not acceptable. # Positive phrasing lets children know the positive results for using appropriate behaviors # State the behavior you want to see. For example, say “I like seeing how everyone lines up so quickly and quietly” # Stop, Relax, and Think strategy teaches children how to think about a problem and find a solution. # Get to know each student as a person as soon as possible after meeting them. # Fill your classroom with positive messages and quotes. Make it impossible for students in your classroom to not feel that they are destined for greatness. # Give students outlets for expression. # Make discipline about accountability and growth instead of punishment. # Do everything you can to make the physical environment of your classroom as comfortable and cheerful as possible. Provide floor cushions, beanbag chairs and inspiring artwork. Evidence-based instructional interventions Special Education under IDEA requires that each exceptional learners to have an instruction that is individualized based on one’s academic or functional needs. It is essential to have a research-based practice that matches the student’s unique needs and skills according to the goals of PLAAFP in the child’s Individualized Education Plan. Evidence-based teaching involves using evidence to establish a baseline of where the students are in their learning. Then, the teacher can decide the appropriate teaching strategies to use for interventions. Through differentiated instruction and teacher will progress monitoring student to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based instruction. There are various evidence-based strategies that can be used in the classroom. # Exit Tickets # Cooperative Learning Centers # Cues, Questions & Advance Organizers # Scaffolding # Cross Age Peer Tutoring # KWL Chart # Using manipulative and kinaesthetic learning # Provide opportunities for student practice # Concept Mapping # Reading Peer/ Math- Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) # Reciprocal Teaching # Interactive white board # Foldables/ Graphic Organizers # Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) A great website to use find evidence-based interventions is http://ebi.missouri.edu/?cat=37 Accommodations and modifications for exceptional students According to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), students with exceptional needs have the right to receive necessary curricular adaptations. The adaptation for children with various disabilities may need special accommodations or modifications in the classroom. The individual needs of exceptional learners tailor the curricular adaptations according to their Individualized Educational Plan known as IEP. Accommodations make provisions to help the student learn the material and meet all expectations to the instructional level, content, and performance criteria — for example, accommodation for a student having difficulty completing project assignments. You will break the project assignment into small parts with the due date. Teach the student to maintain a calendar with task and give responsibility checklist. Modification is changing what a student is expected to learn. These changes can be to the instructional level, content, and performance criteria. A modification is to provide a student with meaningful and productive learning experiences based on one's needs and ability. For example, a modification for students would be reducing the reading level of a regular assignment or providing study aid ( calculator, cue cards, guides). Assistive technology tools and resources, and their purposes Assistive technology into today's society have helped students with disabilities learn more effectively in the classroom. The devices and services of assistive technology increase the ranges of sophistication from low- to high technology. Most of the time assistive technology can be used in two ways: to support learning and to bypass challenging task due to exceptional learner disabilities. In order to be effective, the assistive technology needs to be embedded within the quality of instruction. * Text-to-speech (TTS) software is designed to help children who have difficulties reading standard print. * Sip-and-puff systems are used by students who have mobility challenges, such as paralysis and fine motor skill disabilities. * The Jouse3 is a sip-and-puff system that allows children to control a device using any part of the mouth, cheek, chin or tongue. * MathTalk program works with Dragon NaturallySpeaking programs for voice-to-text functionality, making it ideal for students who have fine motor skill disabilities. Students with blindness or vision disabilities can use the integrated braille translator. * FM systems are the best choice for children with sensorineural hearing loss. * Recorded books allow users to listen to text and are available in a variety of formats, such as audiocassettes, CDs, and MP3 downloads. * Graphic organizers and outlining programs help users who have trouble organizing and outlining * Visual Schedules * Adapted Pencil (weighted, fat, skinny, triangular, golf etc.) * Adaptive Paper (graph, special spacing or texture, HWT etc.) * Pencil Grip * adapted eraser * Slant board